Classroom lecture
Visiting the Diet Building
Visiting a law firm
The Meiji University School of Law, the School of Political Science and Economics, and the Headquarters for International Collaboration held the Meiji University Summer Program in the Social Sciences “Law, Politics, and Economy in Contemporary Japan” from July 11 to July 22. This two-week intensive program was designed to provide an introductory course in Japanese for non-Japanese students on Japanese law, politics, and economy. This was the first time for such a program to be held.
Three students from the United States and the United Kingdom came to Japan and participated in the lectures and a field trip along with Meiji University international students and assistant students from the School of Law and School of Political Science and Economics.
The program curriculum was designed to be easy to understand and to rouse the interest of foreign students who would be learning about Japanese law, politics, and economy for the first time, and the timetable was set so that there would be a balance in the lectures each day. Specific course topics covered hot topics in contemporary Japanese society from Japanese small and medium enterprises, judicial administration, educational system, and fiscal health to post-earthquake Japan, the saiban-in (lay judge) system, employment system, and organ transplant issues.
Additionally, on the field trip, students visited important places mainly related to law, politics, and economy that would be difficult for individuals to visit normally, such as the Edo-Tokyo Museum, the Diet, a law firm, a court, and a prison. Before departing on the field trip the escorting professor gave an overview of the places the group would be visiting and this field trip provided the perfect opportunity for students to see for themselves the institutions they had heard about in the lectures and see what they were actually like and what takes place in them.
During the lectures and the field trip, there were active discussions and opinion exchanges as students compared the situation in their own countries to that of Japan for each topic and expressed their thoughts and asked the professors for feedback.
During the farewell party held on the last day of the program, the three students received certificates of completion. At the party, the professors, Meiji University international students and assistant students who participated in the lectures and field trip also gathered to say their farewells and enjoy interaction.
The students gave many comments that expressed their interest and satisfaction in the program such as “debating with students from other countries taught me different perspectives on the same issue and it broadened my horizons,” “my understanding of Japan’s social system deepened,” “it was a wonderful opportunity to experience how Japanese university courses are taught,” and “if there is another program, I would like to participate.”
Furthermore, this program was adopted for the “Student Exchange Support Program (Short Stay),” which aims to hold short-term programs as a model for the acceptance of international students on a short-term basis in order to diversify opportunities for international students and promote the internationalization of universities and other institutions. As a university which aims to be an “open-minded university,” there are high expectations for the future development of this program as a new educational program for foreign students to study a wide range of social sciences in Japanese.
